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Russian TV Anchor Implies Jews Brought Holocaust On Themselves

Russian state TV hosts have consistently repeated the Kremlin line that Kyiv's new government is run by "fascists" and "anti-Semites."

In a strange twist, they have also sometimes questioned why Jewish Ukrainians or Jewish Russians might support the new government.

Evelina Zakamskaya, an anchor on the state-funded Rossia 24 TV channel, accelerated the innuendo still further on March 23 in an interview with Aleksandr Prokhanov, a writer who recently admitted to hoping for a new Cold War.

Here's the transcript [emphasis mine]:

Prokhanov: "It's strange that these Jewish organizations -- European and our Russian ones -- support the Maidan. What are they doing? Don't they understand that with their own hands they're bringing a second Holocaust?

Zakamskaya: They did it the first time too.

Prokhanov: It's an amazing blindness that is being repeated again. Until 1933 many liberal European organizations fed the Fuhrer.

There is, of course, a documented history of European and Russian appeasement of Hitler. But neither Zakamskaya nor Prokhanov are clear about how they believe Jews caused their own mass murder.

As for the current crisis, a coalition of Ukrainian Jewish leaders did dispute Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims of rising anti-Semitism in Ukraine and there have been Jewish participants in the pro-European Maidan movement from the very beginning. But Muslim Crimean Tatars and Russian-speaking Ukrainians have also participated -- the latter group also singled out for "protection" by Moscow.

In Russia itself, there does not appear to be any evidence that the Jewish community has any greater stake in the Maidan movement than the rest of the population.

But the charge has a familiar history in Russia, where Josef Stalin initiated a campaign after World War II to purge "rootless cosmopolitans" -- a euphemism for unpatriotic Jewish intellectuals -- that lasted until the Soviet dictator's death in 1953.

In a segment produced in late February, Dmitry Kiselyov, the new head of Russia's reorganized state propaganda agency, uses this very trope against the chief editor of "New Times," a liberal Russian magazine.

Kiselyov rails against Albats and other Jews who support protesters in Ukraine for not being more aware of their history. A picture of Albats looms in the background with the Hebrew words -- apparently written backwards by mistake -- "what kind of Jew are you?"

In lecturing Jews on who they should support and why, though, Kiselyov and others may be speaking to a wider Russian audience with a wholly more nefarious message: We can't trust these "rootless cosmopolitans."

Comments

by: GAryGAry from: USA

March 25, 2014 12:39

Why do JEWS never ask themselves the question: "What is it about our behavior that upsets so many people?

Good answers would be:1. We are the intellectual driving force behind diversity, multiculturalism, causing Whites to become minorities in their nations, feminism, gay rights, anti-christian media.......

In Response

by: MeToo from: California

March 25, 2014 20:32

You are the ultimate anti semite. What drivel you write. Is your mind so filled with absolute tripe that you cant see the contributions that Jews have made to the world and to the human race. So this tiny little minority in the world is causing multiculturalism, diversity and causing whites to become minorities. etc Jews are whites idiot. We have a different way of worshipping but we are still white people. Listen next time you take your White Power salute and wave your Nazi flag remember this Next time they're vaccinating (innoculating) children against Polio, I suggest that you don't take your child..after all a Jew invented it...and they are out to destroy the world not contribute to it.!!!!

In Response

by: MAvraham from: TX

March 27, 2014 00:16

You sir win the award for the biggest D-Bag and Anti-Semitic Jerk! If all the gentiles would leave us the hell alone then everyone would be fine. But for thousands of years you people can't seem to just let us be!!!!!!!

In Response

by: Spello from: London

April 09, 2014 19:10

Why do anti-Semites never ask themselves the question "What is it about us that makes us so bloody dumb that we can never explain anything that happens around us intelligently and have to blame it all on Jews?"

by: American Tolerast

March 25, 2014 16:55

The Fourth Reich. Excuse me, россия для русских.

by: MrHanky from: America The Free

March 26, 2014 03:32

Hmmm.. Could it be that Jewish people love freedom more than they do corruption and oppression ? Similar to many people that see freedom,democracy and following the rule of law as a good thing. When I think of mobster or mafia rule,I see people in chains, being beat up and threatened and locked up in dark cold hole if not do as mafia says.Who with a sane mind would want what a corrupt mafia run government offers if they could have better somewhere else?The Jewish people have not forgot what type of tyrants yell fascism and murdered their ancestors.I thought Russia was doing somewhat good for some of it's people until the leaders used a lie to take Crimea away from their brothers and sisters that have been crushed under years of corruption by thieving leach mobsters like Yanukoych and his friends. A convicted felon should never be fit to hold office as president in any country but the people only see someone with big money they thought would help them.Ukrainians were lied to by politicians for many years.They deserve better.

by: RDA

March 27, 2014 01:54

In retrospect, the west should have encouraged and supported and nurtured, in rhetoric, diplomacy, economically, and financially, Russian democracy in every way possible during the 90s. Instead the west left it to its own struggling device for the most part. Content that they would find their way. Now it has backslid. The real losers here are ultimately, once again, the Russian people.

by: Phil from: UK

March 27, 2014 11:38

So the section of RFERL is titled "Ukraine Unspun" and filled with Spin! I suppose it not your fault though; you have to follow the hypocritical US model of foreign policy.

The problem is that Russia "liberated" Crimea and gave them democracy without dropping any bombs on them. What Gives?!?!

It’s the 21st CENTURY! You can’t be liberating and bringing democracy without bombing the populous in to the Stone Age! This sets a very dangerous precedent!

The West will not allow Russia to take such reckless "20th century" tactics, Russia must change course! Otherwise, should the sanctions have no effect, the West will be forced to bomb the populous in question, on Russia's behalf... and if not bomb, at least try to put them through some sort of hell. Damn commies!

About #UkraineUnspun

The information war is in full swing in the tense standoff between Ukraine and Russia. In an attempt to present a clearer picture, #UkraineUnspun will unravel information coming from Russian and Ukrainian media, politicians and activists. Written by Glenn Kates and contributors from RFE/RL.

Follow the hashtag #UkraineUnspun on Twitter and let us know what we should be covering -- or to weigh in on any of our stories. Or write us at webteam@rferl.org